The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
19-13, 6-0
Iowa State
18-21, 1-5
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 13 | 1 |
| Iowa State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 12 | 3 |
Softball completes a series sweep of Iowa State, 11-4
03.30.2018 | Softball
Sophomore Kaitlyn Washington hit two HR’s, including her first career grand slam, to go with five RBIs
AMES, Iowa – Temperatures might have been cold on Friday afternoon at the Cyclone Sports Complex, but Texas softball's (19-13, 6-0 Big 12 Conference) bats remained red-hot as the Longhorns blasted three HR's, including a two-HR effort with a grand slam from sophomore left fielder Kaitlyn Washington, to complete a league series sweep at Iowa State (18-21, 1-5 Big 12 Conference), 11-4.
With the victory, UT registered its first seven-game win streak since going unbeaten over the first 12 contests to open the 2016 campaign and is now 6-0 to begin Big 12 action for the first time since 2013.
During the weekend, the Burnt Orange & White batted .353 as a team, out-scored ISU by a 27-9 count and registered 10 extra-base hits, including six HR's.
Washington's two-HR game, as part of a 2-for-3, three-run scored, career-high five-RBI effort, marked the first two-HR performance for any Longhorns player since Lindsey Stephens hit two bombs in NCAA Regional action against No. 16 Texas A&M in Lafayette, La., back on May 20, 2016.
Sophomore shortstop Kaitlyn Slack hit her first collegiate HR while going 2-for-4 with three RBIs, freshman second baseman Janae Jefferson was 3-for-5 with a run scored and a RBI, senior designated player Paige von Sprecken was 2-for-3 with a run and a RBI and freshman third baseman MK Tedder went 2-for-3 with a tally.
In the circle for the Longhorns, junior Brooke Bolinger (8-4) earned the triumph after striking out one and allowing two hits over 1.2 innings of scoreless relief. Redshirt junior Erica Wright started the contest, permitting three earned runs on six hits with a walk and a strikeout in 3.2 frames, while freshman Chloe Romero allowed one earned tally on four hits in two innings of relief.
For the third straight contest at Iowa State and the fifth time in Big 12 play, Texas scored during the opening inning. The outburst all started with one out as a von Sprecken walk, a Tedder single up the middle and a Taylor Ellsworth free pass packed the bags full of Longhorns. With Iowa State starter Brianna Weilbacher within one out of getting out of the jam, Washington stepped into the box and launched her first career grand slam well over the wall in right as Texas roared to a 4-0 lead.
Iowa State got something started against Wright in the bottom of the second as a dropped throw to first allowed the Cyclones to get their leadoff batter aboard. First baseman Sally Woolpert immediately followed by driving a double off the wall in left to provide ISU with a duo in scoring position and still no outs. With Wright getting closer to escaping her own jam on a fly out to left and a bouncer to third, the Huntington, Texas, native walked left fielder Bryn Hanrahan to load the bases. Iowa State would come up empty, however, as Wright caught right fielder Kaila Konz looking at strike three on the outside corner to leave a trio stranded.
Texas wasted no time adding to its advantage in the third as a leadoff Washington walk and singles from Slack and Jefferson combined to boost the gap to 5-0.
Needing to get something going against Wright, Iowa State third baseman Nychole Antillon did just that by starting the bottom of the fourth with a leadoff single up the middle. Woolpert followed immediately with a two-run HR just inside the left field foul pole to cut the ISU deficit to 5-2. The outburst continued as catcher Kaylee Bosworth made it three straight Cyclone hits on a double to the wall in left. With two outs, pinch hitter Jackie Chairez blooped a RBI single to center to trim Texas' advantage to 5-3. That ended Wright's day in the circle as Bolinger was summoned out of the bullpen and immediately ended the rally on a swinging strikeout of second baseman Sydney Stites.
Washington wasted no time answering back for the Longhorns in the fifth as the Humble, Texas, product started the frame with her second HR of the game on a solo blast to left center. From there, a two-out ISU fielding error opened the door for another UT tally as consecutive singles from Jefferson and von Sprecken combined to plate another to make it 7-3.
The Cyclones threatened again in the bottom of the fifth on consecutive one-out singles by Antillon and Woolpert. That's when Bolinger made a huge play in the circle to conclude the threat, handling a Bosworth liner, turning quickly and doubling off the runner at second for a huge inning-ending double play.
With one on in the top of the sixth, Washington just missed her third HR of the game by a foot as her towering blast was caught at the top of the center field fencing by Iowa State's Taylor Nearad. Regardless, Texas' offense soon added another long ball as Slack launched a three-run shot over the left field wall for her first collegiate HR to expand the lead to 10-3.
A diving Texas attempt at a sinking liner off the bat of ISU designated player Logan Schaben went awry starting the bottom of the sixth as the Cyclones opened the frame with a leadoff triple. That allowed left fielder Bryn Hanrahan the opportunity to lift a sacrifice fly to left, plating Schaben to cut the Iowa State deficit to six.
Jefferson's leadoff single and a crucial two-base throwing error on the Cyclones combined to help the Longhorns finalize their offensive count at 11 runs in the top of the seventh.
From there, Iowa State got two aboard in the bottom of the seventh on a hit-by-pitch and a two-out single, but that was all as a fly ball to left completed the sweep.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Bolinger, Brooke (8-4)
L: Weilbacher, Brianna (8-7)
Batting:
HR: Washington, Kaitlyn 2 ; Slack, Kaitlyn 1
RBI: Jefferson, Janae 1 ; von Sprecken, Paige 1 ; Washington, Kaitlyn 5 ; Slack, Kaitlyn 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Jefferson, Janae 1 ; von Sprecken, Paige 1 ; Tedder, MK 1 ; Ellsworth, Taylor 1 ; Alcozer, Bekah 1 ; Washington, Kaitlyn 3 ; Schattle, Malory 1 ; Slack, Kaitlyn 1 ; DerMargosian, Tuesday 1
HBP: Tedder, MK 2
Batting:
2B: Woolpert, Sally 1 ; Bosworth, Kaylee 1
3B: Schaben, Logan 1
HR: Woolpert, Sally 1
RBI: Woolpert, Sally 2 ; Hanrahan, Bryn 1 ; Chairez, Jackie 1
SF: Hanrahan, Bryn 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Antillon, Nychole 1 ; Woolpert, Sally 1 ; Bosworth, Kaylee 1 ; Schaben, Logan 1
HBP: Woolpert, Sally 1
